Introduction

This chapter lays a crucial theoretical foundation for establishing our church. Without this foundation, it would be difficult to proceed, and we would end up retaining all sorts of people in the church. We must understand that God will certainly remove the rebellious from the church and will do so in various ways, but He will never tolerate them. In the process of building our church, rebellious elements are commonplace. All the newcomers to our church might comment on how unified our church is. However, there is no natural state of unity. Gold needs to be thoroughly refined to remove all impurities. True gold fears no fire; it becomes even purer through refining.

God's Authority Does Not Implement Democracy

Today, as we build the church, we must clearly understand that God desires the church to be holy. When facing the issue of authority, we are very accommodating. Is this in accordance with the Bible, or is it not? If we are not accommodating, we are accused of being dictatorial and arrogant. The issue of authority is non-negotiable, especially the authority God has given us. The mystery in the Bible is that God allowed Peter to lead His church, yet Peter ended up as the second-in-command, with James becoming the leader. This leadership was democratically elected, not divinely chosen.

God absolutely does not promote a democratic church. Citizens of democratic countries may praise China, noting how a bridge can be built immediately, whereas in their countries, a small road can be debated for five years without being built because someone objects. Democracy means everyone has a say. Today, we must understand that the success of anything is closely related to the leader. The church cannot decide what kind of pastor it will have, but the pastor determines what kind of church it will be. A church is the concrete embodiment of the pastor's character.

God chooses a person to build the church, and He will uphold that person's authority. However, if the pastor does not grasp his authority, like Peter, he will become the second-in-command. It is best to shoulder the responsibility God has given you. God is a management expert, knowing how important authority is. Without authority, nothing can be accomplished.

Korah's Democracy

The church is God's army, and to win battles, a clear authority structure must be established. In Numbers chapter 16, we read about removing the rebellious. Korah was a Levite, a capable and eloquent man with a broad base of popular support. In today's world, he could be elected president.

However, when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God did not implement a democratic election system. Korah spread the idea among the Israelites that Moses and Aaron were seizing power themselves. He gathered people to attack Moses and Aaron, saying, You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord? (Numbers 16:3).

These words seemed reasonable, suggesting that since the Lord was among them, shouldn't the authority be shared? Why should only you have it? I often hear this too. Why is it only you who can do it? Actually, it's not about whether I can or cannot. I respect the authority God has given me, and I am dedicated to my God-given position.

Today, every leader in the church serves wholeheartedly. We never push those in need away; we try our best to serve our brothers and sisters. Although our methods may have room for improvement and may not always be perfect, this is our God-given role. We will do our best to fulfill it. Even so, some still accuse us of seizing power.

Authority Is Non-Negotiable

In the early years, we walked this path step by step, with blood and tears. The most critical issue was the middle-level leaders. As we saw in earlier chapters, Miriam and Aaron were dissatisfied with Moses, and with good reason, but they were disciplined by God because it was not their place to interfere. Later, the Israelites grumbled and another group died. Then, the twelve spies who entered Canaan returned with a bad report, and another group died.

The Book of Numbers records many deaths, not much better than the Nanjing Massacre! We see these events in the Bible today. Moses said they seized power, and they said Moses seized power. But the authority God gave Moses was never negotiated with others. If anyone wanted it, they had to negotiate with God. Is it a small thing that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to Himself, to do the service of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them; and that He has brought you near to Himself, and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also? (Numbers 16:9-10). Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they said, We will not come up! Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting like a prince over us? (Numbers 16:12-13).

But Moses said, Let's burn incense and see how God makes His choice. When the Lord heard this, He said to Moses, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. Can you understand what God is saying? If Korah didn't have a broad base of popular support, he probably wouldn't have done this. Because he was deeply popular among the people, his popular support far exceeded that of Moses and Aaron. This popular support proves nothing; it doesn't mean it is in accordance with God's will.

Does the pastor of a church fear the congregation or fear God? Does the leader of a small group fear God or fear the members of his group? Does the leader of a pastoral district fear God or fear the brothers and sisters in the district? It is very dangerous to strive for a good base of popular support; that is called being all things to all men. But if you are not aligned with God, this popular support will not solve any problems.

Pastors who are all things to all men are plentiful, but pastors who stand firm are extremely rare. So I hope the brothers and sisters in the church will tolerate me. I hope that the brothers and sisters in our church will be able to win battles and enter into a state of blessing. Actually, building a church and serving so hard is not something we particularly want to do, but we do it because God has called us to do so. If we shirk this responsibility, that would be a disaster. Whatever responsibility God gives you, you must learn to shoulder it.

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were a bit dizzy. They thought, I have such a broad base of popular support, and wanted to be the head of the Israelites. They thought about leading the Israelites back to Egypt, feeling that they would never reach the land flowing with milk and honey. What they said seemed reasonable.

This reasoning catered to the minds of the Israelites at the time, which is where their broad base of support came from. Actually, the unluckiest were Moses, Joshua, and Caleb. They could have entered the land flowing with milk and honey, but because the ten spies brought back bad news, Moses, Joshua, and Caleb had to spend forty years with them in the wilderness. But the three of them had faith in God, listened to God's words, and acted according to what God said. They believed that God would lead them into Canaan. They also knew that the Israelites could not enter Canaan because they didn't believe God and didn't have faith in Him.

Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not come up! (Numbers 16:14).

God wants to purify His church so that it can be a church that wins battles! I hope the brothers and sisters will follow God's will, either trembling at the word of the Lord, building a holy and glorious church according to God's word, or building a church according to popular support and obeying the people. It's up to you to choose. In the Bible, there was a man named King Saul who governed the Israelites according to popular support. Later, his son-in-law, David, governed Israel according to God's word. Which one would win? Of course, the one who follows God's word will win. Our God will provide a strong backing. Thank God that the God we serve greatly honors the authority He gives. If those under your authority complain to God or rebel against your authority, God will deal with those under you, and that dealing will be fatal.

God Will Remove Those Who Despise Authority

Some time ago, I shared an example of a pastor who was sued in court. After several years, the case was finally decided, and the pastor and his wife were found innocent. But the three church members who sued them were in trouble. One died in a car accident, another died of cancer, and the last one lived in constant fear, not knowing when disaster would strike. God is very serious about authority. Actually, the pastor who was sued wasn't that great, but it was the authority God had given him!

Years ago, one of our sisters had a dream. In the dream, God told her that obedience is blessing. Everyone must know that when the Bible talks about authority, you must learn to obey even earthly authority. But when earthly authority conflicts with God's authority, you must obey God. So we must be clear that our obedience is due to our faith in God. Now, let's see what happened to these people. God wanted to destroy all the Israelites and let Moses' and Aaron's descendants rise up again. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with God. God changed His mind and decided to destroy Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins. So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents with their wives, their sons, and their little children.

And Moses said: By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have despised the Lord. (Numbers 16:28-30).

Despising authority is despising God. God is particularly serious about authority. Do you want to be blessed? If you want to be blessed, do not discern good and evil, and do not discern good and evil about your leaders. Because if you discern good and evil, you will not be able to obey, because your leaders have a lot of flaws, including myself.

When reading this chapter, we must understand that God's intention is that He hates rebellion. Do you know what He said to King Saul through Samuel's mouth?

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23)

Today we must begin to see that no matter how many people indulge you, how many people support you, how many people want to put the yellow robe on you, if you want to do it, then put on the yellow robe, but in the presence of God, never be a rebellious person. Obedience to the authorities above is a concrete manifestation of faith in God. Maybe you will think, what if the leader does something wrong? That's God's business, don't worry about it. Do you need to worry about God doing something wrong? People do wrong, but God will never do wrong.

So when many people say to you, Hey, how can your pastor say that to you? We all support you. Why have you become a Kohathite, just carrying a tent and doing this? You can also offer sacrifices in the temple. It's not just for Moses and Aaron's family. Korah, confront him. This confrontation doesn't matter, the ground opened its mouth, and they fell alive into the pit.

Do you think Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were smart or not? Really not smart, and very stupid. Don't they know how to fear God? If you fear God, never oppose your superiors. What was the result? The result was that God opened His mouth and let them fall alive into the pit. As a result, the Israelites around them heard them cry out and ran away, saying, Lest the earth swallow us up also! And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering incense (Numbers 16:34-35). These two hundred and fifty people were middle-level leaders.

If you are a pastor or a brother or sister who is building a church, and you have listened to my recording today, if you are building a church, you cannot escape this hurdle, that is, your middle-level leaders will start to oppose you. Behind this is a dark force, and this dark force will corrupt many people. They have extremely broad popular support in the church and disagree very much with what you are doing. There is a very unified state between them, and there will be a lot of corruption in the church.

I see that some pastors dare to accept anyone, and after accepting them, they establish them as leaders. Then many problems will arise in the church, because I used to do this. The most important thing in building a church is unity, not the number of people. God is doing new things in the church, constantly removing rebellion. Many people who leave our church like to put themselves in the place of those I am talking about when they hear these things. I am very helpless. This is revealed by the Bible. It is not intentional to say who it is. It is just as it is.

No matter what, our brothers and sisters in the church must pursue unity. I thank God for giving me such wisdom. What wisdom? That is, if the people under a small group leader complain about the small group leader, I stand on the side of the small group leader, just like God stands on the side of Moses; if a small group leader complains about his pastoral district leader, I stand on the side of his pastoral district leader; if someone complains about me, I believe God will stand on my side. Because it is not based on right and wrong, but based on obedience and disobedience, belief and unbelief.

Do you think there are commendable things about Moses? A lot. In the previous chapter, Moses' brother Aaron and his sister Miriam were unhappy that he had married a Cushite woman. She said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? So if Aaron and Miriam were like this, what about the people under him? The people criticize Moses a lot.

Today we must begin to know for sure that it is not what that person is doing, but that that person has the authority God has given him. So God gives us authority to be a leader, and the first thing we must do is to fulfill our duties, do our best to stand in our positions and serve God, serve the brothers and sisters under you, but at the same time you must be clear that authority is non-negotiable.

If I find that our small group leaders are giving away your authority casually, and our pastoral district leaders are giving away your authority casually, then I must manage it. Authority is non-negotiable, so from that time on, Moses made a rule. That no outsider, who is not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company, as the Lord said to him through Moses (Numbers 16:40).

Korah's Faction Were Not Jehovah's People

Let us consider Korah, a truly pitiful figure. As a leader who commanded a wide base of popular support, he was not far removed from Aaron and the upper echelons of the Levite tribe. Consequently, he overestimated himself, which proved fatal. Today, I must caution those among us being trained as leaders: you may possess strengths in certain areas, but never lose sight of who you are. Some, after climbing a few steps, forget their place. In truth, there is much you do not yet know. Over the years, we have invested significant effort in building a pastoral system and a comprehensive theological framework, elements you may not have fully inherited and must continue to learn. Recently, some of you failed the healing and deliverance assessments, spouting nonsense.

For example, the question was: What is key to building a victorious church? Something I have often stressed. Yet, some answered: self-mortification. Ascetics surpass us in self-mortification. But could a monk build a glorious church? Building a victorious church requires biblical basis. If you glean doctrines haphazardly, here a bit, there a bit, you would do better to simply read the Bible more.

If you read the Bible extensively and grasp the key and crucial points, your conclusions should align closely with mine. Grasping the important is grasping the key. If today you and I both grasp the key, and yours is more important than mine, I will listen to you. But what is the problem? The problem is we truly know so little. Knowing God is endless. The key to building God’s victorious church is building according to His word. Moses built the tabernacle according to God's word, and Solomon built the temple according to God's word. These were divine revelations.

Today, we build the church according to God's word. And I know with certainty that the revelation I have received from God exceeds that of many pastors. Why do I receive revelation? Because I have studied many Bible commentaries, and much of what they say sounds unsound, and I had no answers. So I knelt and prayed, seeking God. Thus, God revealed Himself to me, imparting these words to me, enabling me to build His glorious church.

Indeed, God reveals Himself to many, but not all tremble at His word. Some are rash and careless, which is not befitting of Christians. Can one build God’s glorious church in a muddle? I treat God’s word with utmost seriousness, and therefore, I build God’s glorious church according to His word, even when God’s teachings may clash with the moral concepts of many. Though I long for every brother and sister among us, even those who have left, to share in the grace, God absolutely does not tolerate the refuse in His sight.

Within the church, we must shoulder the responsibility of building a holy, united, and glorious church. God will remove the rebellious within the church. We need do nothing; God Himself will act. But we must clearly understand what God is doing and not oppose Him. Authority is non-negotiable. The following day, the Israelites heard that Korah was dead, along with Dathan, Abiram, and all those belonging to Korah, having descended alive into Sheol, vanished without a trace. The Israelites then cried out for them. What was the result? These Israelites died with them. How many died? Fourteen thousand seven hundred.

Know that plagues are no joke. A plague is a contagious disease, infecting an entire village, barring outsiders. The plague specifically targeted those who strongly identified with Korah because the plague came from God. Fourteen thousand seven hundred died; a horrifying sight. Even now, do you know how many God has slain? Those who violated the Sabbath were dragged outside the camp to be stoned to death. In the preceding chapter, the ten who spread the bad report died, and many died that same day in defeat while attacking the Amalekites, and those who craved quail died. Then Moses instructed Aaron to take incense in a pan, atone for the people, and stand between the living and the dead, and the plague was stopped. Besides those who died because of Korah's affair, those who died from the plague totaled fourteen thousand seven hundred.

When I read this, I thought: God is too harsh. Couldn't these people be taught and trained properly? Why eliminate them so swiftly? Wouldn’t it be better to transform them? Has Jehovah’s arm ever been shortened? Is it so difficult to transform them? Is He truly serious? The ground opened, and Korah fell into it, and the two hundred and fifty who carried incense burners were burned alive by fire. Can you comprehend God’s abhorrence of these things? This provides us a crucial revelation: Never be a Korah, a Dathan, an Abiram, one of the two hundred and fifty incense carriers, nor one of the Israelites who complained that Moses and Aaron had killed their good brothers.

Establish Reverence for God

Reading the Book of Numbers has deepened my commitment to building a holy, united church, never building the church perfunctorily. God will cleanse the church Himself, and God will build the church Himself. The Bible says to build the church upon this rock. The key lies in whether you and I tremble at God’s word, whether we strictly adhere to God’s word. If we meticulously observe and obey God's word, we will surely prevail in the days of spiritual warfare, inherit the earth, and obtain God’s promises. This is a deep desire within me. Therefore, those who profess to be Jehovah God’s people are actually God’s enemies.

Can everyone, through examining the Book of Numbers, establish reverence for God? Some deserve to die. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram brought destruction upon themselves; they were culpable. Within the church, there are still many Korahs, Dathans, Abirams, two hundred and fifty leaders, and those who like to murmur, who are killed by plague.

God intends for all Israelites to enter the Promised Land through these events in the future. Our God does not seek to kill us; our God seeks to bring us to the Promised Land. All who obstruct God’s plan, who hinder the Israelites from entering the Promised Land, He will remove. Because with these people present, the Israelites cannot enter the Promised Land. These people are skilled at opposing Moses, skilled at opposing pastors, but possess no ability when casting out demons. Do these people not need a proper understanding of authority?

Oh, that they would have such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)